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A team of national experts designed this innovative program around the
unique needs of students in urban classrooms. It is built to prepare a diverse
cohort of prospective teachers to bring equity, creativity and opportunity to
urban communities. Through a year-long residency, candidates develop the
relationships and skills required for effective teaching.

Why is Davenport’s Master of Urban Education a game changer?Why would someone choose DU’s program over another institution?

Davenport University’s Master of Urban Education program prepares and
develops teachers in real world settings to meet the education demands of
urban environments. This innovative teacher-training program focuses on
student learning, prepares content experts in clinical settings and measures
progress based on data. Candidates will also use the latest technological
teaching tools to advance student learning and the teaching practice.

Mission

A team of national experts designed this innovative program around the
unique needs of students in urban classrooms. It is built to prepare a diverse
cohort of prospective teachers to bring equity, creativity and opportunity to
urban communities. Through a year-long residency, candidates develop the
relationships and skills required for effective teaching.

You may be teaching in a classroom today. You may be considering pursuing a teaching degree. And now, you have the opportunity to be part of the program that can change lives – yours and the rewards of your career and students who need the best of the best to foster and bring to life their full learning potential.

The Master of Urban Education degree is centered on developing key skills that will:

Uniquely prepare you as a dynamic teacher.

Increase years spent in urban districts as an effective teacher.

Build sustaining relationships with students, teachers and families.

Build strong leadership skills.

Advancing beyond traditional curriculums, this program will immerse you in the actual

clinical setting from the start.

You will be assigned to a proven effective teacher.

You will serve with that teacher for the duration of the year.

You will progress as a student mentor, tutor and apprentice, while providing other supports to your lead teacher.

Your learning will culminate in a traditional student teaching experience.

Because of our unique partnership with placement schools, you’ll enjoy more opportunities to practice critical skills in a real world setting. The Master of Urban Education degree is intentionally separated from the teaching certificate. This allows faculty to award the certificate based on demonstrated quality teaching.

Contact us today and let’s talk about your future with a Davenport College of Urban Education master’s degree.

Contact Us: 800-686-1600

We are a game changer

Urban education describes schooling in metropolitan communities. By definition, “high risk” urban schools are those enrolling more than 20% of their students, ages 5 to17, from households meeting the federal definition of poverty. Urban schools are characterized by:

large enrollments

students representing diverse races, ethnicities and languages

large numbers of children of immigrants

high mobility rates

concentrations of poor students who qualify a district “at risk”

drugs, crime and safety issues

a continuum of poorest to wealthiest students

Many suburban schools also face the same challenges of urban schools and will benefit by the groundbreaking strides we envision.

Yet, a clear focus on the urban district is critically important.

The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by 2050, seven of 10 people will live in urban areas. Michigan – and our nation – must count on schools and colleges to build the capacity of urban residents through effective teaching and leadership.

We Are Inspired to Change

The idea of a new college – the Davenport University College of Urban Education began as an innovative response to the national and state-level calls for change in teacher preparation and Michigan’s need for effective teachers in low-performing schools. Davenport University launched the College of Urban Education in 2012. It continues to grow as a collaborative effort throughout Michigan – and beyond.

We Are Driven to Lead

Our program architects, led by Founding Dean, Dr. Andre Perry, considered the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Clinical Preparation and Partnerships prepared by NCATE and released in the report, Transforming Teacher Education through Clinical Practice: A National Strategy to Prepare Effective Teachers for Improved Student Learning in 2010.

The panel studied "the gap between how teachers are prepared and what

schools need." Its findings identified key design principles and strategies to revolutionize teacher education. All of these are incorporated in the College of Urban Education’s academic programs. Program architects also aimed to create programs and partnerships within metropolitan areas served by DU campuses.

We Are Equipped to Transform:

Davenport University College of Urban Education degree programs:

Transform urban education, by transforming how we prepare teachers to educate.